Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word Σείριος (Latin script: Seirios), meaning lit. ‘glowing’ or ‘scorching’. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbreviated α CMa or Alpha CMa. With a visual apparent magnitude of −1.46, Sirius is almost twice as bright as Canopus, the next brightest star. Sirius is a binary star consisting of a main-sequence star of spectral type A0 or A1, termed Sirius A, and a faint white dwarf companion of spectral type DA2, termed Sirius B. The distance between the two varies between 8.2 and 31.5 astronomical units as they orbit every 50 years.
On March 18, 2025 I set up my Celestron 9.25 telescope on my CGEM II mount with no particular goal. It was a beautiful night with no clouds or wind. I used this star to center and focus my telescope. I could not miss it.
Object Designation: NGC 2903
Also known as: Dog Star
Constellation: Equatorial constellation of Leo
Object Type: Star
Distance: 8.6 million light-years away
Magnitude: 8.44
Discovery: Ancient Greeks
This final image is:
26 2 second subs at 100 gain – no filter
